Rail-joint



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. OWEN, OF CANAL \VINOHESTER, OHIO.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,885, dated November29, 1898. Application filed June 17, 1898. Serial No. 683,784. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. OWEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Canal \Vinchester, in the county of Franklin and State ofOhio, have invented a new and v permit of sufficient movement toaccommo-.

date themselves to the laws of contraction and expansion.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the drawings, and particularly pointed out inthe claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken througha rail-joint constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of the rail-chair. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsectional view taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, showing a rail therein.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by likecharacters of reference.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates an ordinary railway-track railhaving the tread and flange cut away at the end thereof, as shown, andthe web formed into a tongue or tenon 2, which is adapted to fit withina socket or mortise 8, formed in the adjacent end of the rail 4, as inFig. 1, or in a rail-chair 5, as in Fig. 2.

The tongue 2 is in the form of a hook having the end or nose 6 arrangedin a plane below that of the recurved lower edge 7, and the socket 3 isoppositely formed, having the plane of the inner pocket 8 below that ofthe upper face 0 of the seat 10.

lVhen the rails are placed in position, they are inclined somewhat, soas to pass the end of the tongue over the raised seat 10, and are thenstraightened out, thereby seating the hooked nose 6 of the tongue in thepocket 8 and beyond the raised seat 10, and by reason of the lower edge7 of the tongue resting upon the face 9 of the seat 10 and the upperstraight edge 11 of' the tongue engaging the under straight face 12 ofthe socket the rails are connected together and positively lockedagainst accidental displacement. The hooked end of the tongue forms atransverse head which cannot pass through the contracted opening betweenthe seat 10 and the upper inner face 11 of the socket except as abovedescribed.

The pocket 8 of the socket is preferably formed somewhat larger than thehooked end of the tongue, and the tread and flange of the rail-sectionsor of the rail-chair are spaced apart or do not meet, as shown, wherebythe rails are free to move for a limited space in order to compensatefor contraction and expansion.

It will be observed that the seat 10 does not extend out to the mouth ofthe socket, but i only a portion of the distance, thereby permitting thelower portion 13 of the tongue to fit within the socket and rest uponthe tie, whereby a firm support is obtained for the tongue end of therail. The rail-chair 5 is provided with the usual spike holes or notches14 in the flange thereof, whereby it may be secured upon the tie in theordinary manner.

Bymeans of the tongue 2 being entirely inclosed within the socket 3 itis effectively protected from the action of the car-wheels, which travelupon the the tread of the rail and do not at any time contact or engagewith the tongue and wear the same loose in its socket. This constructionand arrangement does away with bolts and nuts and fish-plates andprovides a strong and useful jointwhich when once placed in positiondoes not need the care and attention necessary with the ordinary jointsto replace broken fish-plates and to tighten the loose nuts.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope or sacrificing any of the advantagesof my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be understood aslimiting my-.

'inclosed within the socket,with its head seated beyond the contractedmouth thereof, whereby the interlocking tongue is protected from theaction of the car-wheels, substantially as shown and described.

2. A raiLjoint, comprising abutting railsections, one of the sectionshaving a tongue provided with a transverse head, and the other sectionhaving a socket provided with a contracted mouth the lower wall thereofbeing cut away in front and the upper and side Walls extending beyondthe cut-away lower Wall, whereby the tongue maybe inserted into therecess at an inclination thereto to pass the transverse head through thecontracted mouth, substantially as shown and described. In testimonythat I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. OWEN. Witnesses:

W'. 1-1. LANE, E. V. BUSCH,

